Artek Bar Stool

Description from All Modern

Alvar Aalto (1898-1976), one of the founders of Artek, was born in Kuortane, Finland. Alvar Aalto is recognized today as one of the great masters of modern architecture. During his long and prolific career, Aalto’s work embraced almost all key public institutions – town halls, theatres, churches, libraries and universities – as well as standardized housing and private homes. Aalto’s architecture is distinctively Finnish. It is marked by a warm humanity and strong individuality. His buildings derive their special aesthetic character from their dynamic relationship with their natural surroundings, their human scale, superbly executed details, unique treatment of materials and ingenious use of lighting. Like all great art, however, Aalto’s architecture transcends national boundaries. His work is not the exclusive property of Finland: it forms a part of a common cultural heritage of European and worldwide significance. Alvar Aalto began designing furnishings as a natural and important extension of his architectural thinking. His first modern piece of furniture was created in 1931-32 for the Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Paimio, which proved to be his international breakthrough. Artek was set up in 1935 to market and sell Alvar and Aino Aalto’s furniture, lamps and textiles, particularly on international markets where Artek focused its operations from the initial stages. Through the innovations in form and line that were born in his furniture designs, Alvar Aalto’s name has also become important in the history of design. In fact, Aalto first achieved fame in Continental Europe as a furniture designer, and only later on as an architect. His contribution to furniture design was among his foremost achievements in its own right, and it sowed the seed from which many of his architectural ideas sprang forth. Alvar Aalto’s furniture and lighting pieces form the basis of the Artek range.

This ubiquitous chair has a timeless appeal that seamlessly assimilates into a variety of settings. The chair is constructed of sturdy laminated birch veneer that forms a quality structure with an exquisite minimalist appearance. Bent Solid Wood Design: The innovative and strong L-leg construction is based on the technique of bending solid wood. Artek’s L-leg is made from birch wood carefully selected and collected from the Finnish forests; only high-quality flawless woods with no structural errors are selected. The quality wood piece is sawed open at the end in the direction of the fibers. Thin pre-glued pieces of birch veneer are put in the grooves, enabling the wood to bend to form a 90-degree angle with the help of pre-steaming and microwave heating. The form-pressed leg piece is placed in a microprocessor-controlled drying chamber, assuring the legs’ long lasting quality. After being fine-sanded by hand, the beautiful and strong L-leg is ready for assembly and is easily fastened with screws to the underside of the seat, eliminating the need for complicated joinery. Thanks to this unique production method, the L-leg keeps its shape forever, lasting from generation to generation.